Real Madrid had been keenly pursuing Leny Yoro, but their efforts to secure his signature ultimately ended in disappointment.
Manchester United swooped in and successfully signed the promising defender by offering him a better deal, making sure they won the race for his services.
However, Yoro’s early days at Manchester United took an unfortunate turn. During the Red Devils’ pre-season tour in the United States, the French defender suffered an injury.
It was later confirmed that Yoro needed surgery to fix a metatarsal injury, a possibility that Manchester United had been aware of before completing his transfer.
Real Madrid really dodged a bullet
Reports from The Athletic revealed that the medical tests conducted before Yoro signed with Manchester United had already identified some concerns with his metatarsal bones.
Despite this, the club’s decision-makers chose to proceed with the signing, convinced that Yoro would be a key player for United in the years to come.
United took a cautious approach with Yoro once he joined the team, limiting his participation in training sessions to only 50%.
Unfortunately, in just his second appearance for the club, during a match against Arsenal in Los Angeles, Yoro fractured the fifth metatarsal bone on the outside of his left foot.
Once he returned to England, he underwent surgery to address the injury, the recovery of which is expected to take about three months.
The decision to sign Yoro, despite the injury risk, was largely based on the understanding that he is a long-term project for Manchester United.
This was further underlined by the fact that Manchester United had also been eyeing the signing of Mathijs de Ligt, a move that was likely to happen regardless of Yoro’s arrival.
All this means that missing out on Yoro this summer has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.